DP Gachagua Vows to Break Coffee Cartels

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has promised to get rid of cartels in the coffee sector saying that farmers must earn 95 percent price of coffee sold to buyers directly.

Gachagua declared that the time for cartels in the sector is finished and promised that the government will restore farmers’ dignity when he launched the coffee conference in Meru.

“I want to state clearly that as Kenya Kwanza administration led by our president William Ruto, we have zero interest in farmers’ money so cartels your time is up we must restore farmers’ dignity by ensuring that they get ninety-five percent of their produce worth,” he said.

Gachagua, who was accompanied by the minister of agriculture Mithuka Linturi and his cooperative colleague Simon Chelagaui, claimed that the extensive chain of brokers involved in the crop’s sale is to blame for the crop’s low yield due to poor remuneration.

“This issue of farmers being peanuts is to blame for low production how do you expect a farmer who is paid poorly to work hard on his or her farm, if we address the issue of marketing then automatically farmers will go back to their farms and work,” said Gachagua.

As stated by Gachagua, the administration is aware that while some people will be harmed, many farmers would gain as a result.

According to the deputy president, dividing apart coffee societies was also to fault, as non-economic societies have made sure that growers don’t get paid fairly for their output.

When decisions and resolutions are reached, according to him, they will be included in the new coffee legislation.

According to Simon Chelagui, minister for cooperatives, the absence of control of the coffee exchange is to blame for the consistently low price of coffee at the Nairobi coffee auction.